October is American Cheese Month

Fog Crest Vineyard celebrates American Cheese Month by introducing you to some of our favorite Sonoma County artisan cheese makers.

If you’ve visited the Fog Crest Vineyard tasting room, you may have enjoyed one of our artisan cheese plates with your wines. As October is American Cheese Month, we thought it would be nice to introduce you to the two wonderful local cheese producers that provide us with our delicious selection of cheeses.

Valley Ford Cheese Company was founded in 2008 and is located on Mountain View Jersey Dairy, off the coast of Sonoma County, California. The Bianchi family has owned and operated the 640 acre ranch since 1918 and is now occupied by the third, fourth, and fifth generations. Their penchant for producing Italian style cheeses began with their desire to “re-create” a favorite cheese that had always been a part of family get-togethers.

Their “Estero Gold”, one of our featured cheeses, is a semi-hard Montasio style cow’s milk cheese with a nice subtle bite, a hint of nuttiness and a smooth and desirable texture. Its fine rustic flavor can be paired with any wine, but we especially love it with our chardonnay.

The Valley Ford “Highway One” on our cheese plate is their version of an old style Fontina. Its texture is silky and creamy, with the traditional Fontina flavor that pairs great with our Pinot Noir. It is mildly fruity, with a nutty flavor and aroma.

Both Valley Ford cheeses have won awards and are widely available in stores, wineries and restaurants throughout California.

Redwood Hill Farm celebrated their 45th Anniversary last year! Located among the picturesque redwoods of western Sonoma County, Redwood Hill produces only goat cheese – we feature three different styles on our cheese platter.  "Terra" is a traditional French-style goat cheese with a wrinkly rind, a fluffy texture and robust, earthy flavor. Their Chèvre is a fresh, light-textured, rindless goat cheese and their goat milk cheddar pairs a smooth texture with a sweet, mild flavor. 

Both producers are part of the Sonoma/Marin Cheese Trail which showcases 30 artisan cheese makers! Valley Ford and Redwood Hill are open for touring by appointment.

We hope you’ll celebrate American Cheese Month by visiting some of these cheese producers or by stopping by our tasting room for a cheese and wine pairing. Our featured tasting room book this month is “American Country Cheese”, by Laura Chenel and Linda Siegfried.

What’s your favorite American cheese?